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A special Massachusetts state commission recently confirmed what the IBEW has been saying for decades: project labor agreements work.

In its report, the special commission on the use of project labor agreements in road, bridge, and rail projects found PLAs promote quality, prevent labor disputes and help projects finish on time and under budget.

“The commission recommends the use of a PLA for any public infrastructure project,” said the report. [We] found PLAs to be particularly beneficial on [large] public infrastructure projects.”

The commission also found that PLAs aren’t just appropriate for large-scale projects – smaller jobs can also benefit, citing a recent PLA-governed construction project for the Braintree school system that cost less than $25 million.

“The commission’s findings confirm what the evidence has always shown,” said Massachusetts Building Trades Council President Frank Callahan. “PLAs are a time-tested business tool that has been used successfully in both the private and public sectors to deliver quality construction, on-time and on-budget.”